Gate lifter



Jan. 18, 1938. E. MORFESI ET AL 2,105,890

GATE LIFTER Filed Dec. 18, 1934 Win Mm] IN E NTOR Eugene Nor e51 Hiberf Kindelmann BY (JIM/. 7 2 ow ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 18, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GATE LIFTER Eugene Morfesi, Astoria, Long Island, and Albert Kindelmann, Floral Park, N. Y., assignors to International Projector Corporation, New

11 Claims.

This invention relates to film-carrying apparatus including motion picture cameras and projectors and has particular reference to new and useful improvements in film trap doors and means for readily and easily removing them from their supports.

A main feature of the invention is to provide a simple, rugged, durable, and efficient construction whereby a film-trap door may be readily and easily lifted off its supports Whenever it is so desired to do so for replacement, adjustment, repair or cleaning.

A further feature is to provide such a construction as will not in any way interfere with the standard construction now in use or require major alterations of the standard forms of filmcarrying apparatus now in use.

A still further feature of this invention is to provide a construction which can be readily applied at small cost and time to the standard machines now in use without interfering in any way with the movement of the film or the passage of the projection light through the apparatus.

A yet further feature is to provide a construction which is so simple that in a seconds time and with a mere flip of the fingers the operator may lift the door from its supports and remove it from the machine without taking any appreciable time and without getting himself or the film or the adjacent parts covered with grease or oil etc.

Further and more specific features, objects, and advantages will more clearly appear from a con sideration of the specification hereinafter when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms part of the specification and which illustrate a present preferred form of the invention.

In a general contemplation of the invention, it includes a film trap unit in which there is a fixed element called a trap and a movable element called a door. The latter element is movable bodily away from and toward the trap and is generally supported on a movable support so that the operator may, by simple operations, quickly move the door away from the trap when the film, passing therebetween, is to be threaded into the apparatus or removed from the trap.

Ordinarily the support for the door is mounted on a shaft to which the support is fixed and the shaft extends at one end outward from the apparatus so as to be readily available to the hand of the operator. Preferably a knob on the end of the shaft enables the operator to push the same to slide the shaft longitudinally and slide the support and therefore the door away from the trap in the manner and for the purposes mentioned. In most standard constructions the door is supported snugly in the support by having fingers on the door to snugly engage pins in the support. The invention herein especially provides a manually operable simple device connected to the door, which device through engage- 10 ment with the support lifts the door from its support in a direction parallel to the face of the film and thus permits the door to be easily taken off the support. In the preferred form of the invention this lifter element is a pivoted member 15 of the lever type which is pivoted to the door and at one end loosely engages the support and at the other end is provided with a manually operable handle, the movement of which causes the lifting of the door. Preferably the handle is latched in closed position but the latch is con structed so that the natural motion of the operators hand will release the latch just before the lever movement starts to lift the door. In the especial form shown the lifting element employed also acts as the light shielding collar now found on the side of the door adjacent the lens tubes and is disposed and constructed to cooperate therewith in the usual manner. Thus by modifying this collar to act as the lifter, the addition of an extra part is avoided.

The present preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the drawing of which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the film-trap with the door moved away from the trap; 35

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the film-trap looking toward the door;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the trap looking toward the support; and,

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the door looking away from the support.

According to the drawing of the preferred form, the frame of the apparatus is shown at In. A shaft H is mounted on and from said frame in any suitable and desired manner (not shown). One end of the shaft may be journalled in the bearing I2 connected to the frame If). The end of the shaft l I has a hand knob I3 thereon to permit the operator to easily move the shaft longitudinally inwardly and outwardly. A door-support is fixed near the other end of the shaft and in the present embodiment is in the form of a 55 Cal U-shaped frame of which the base plate is shown at M and one of the integral limbs shown at 15. Between the two limbs of the frame I 4 is disposed a bushing l6 fixed thereto and providing a journal for the shaft ll. Above and below the bushing 18 are disposed pins I7 and I8 fixed to and extending between the limbs of the U-shaped door supporting frame. These pins are the preferred elements from which the door is hung. It is to be understood that any suitable supporting means may be employed.

The film trap is comprised as usual of the fixed gate is fastened at right angles to the frame ID of the apparatus. It also comprises the movable door element in the form of a plate against one side of which, adjacent the gate, the film passes, and provided with the light aperture 2|. In order to hang the door from the supporting frame l4 the door .is preferably provided with lateral eX- tending hooks or fingers 22 and 23 having notches 24 and 25 on their under edges to embrace the pins IT and 18. These fingers thus extend into the frame support between the limbs thereof and are supported on the pins, while swinging of the door is prevented by the relatively snug fit of the door between the side plates of the supporting frame. However it is not always easy to take the door out from the frame without getting the hands covered with oil and grease and without considerable time and trouble and possible damage. Ordinarily there is fastened to the face of the door away from the film a light shielding collar the outer edge of which generally lies in close abutment with the adjacent ends of the lens tubes when the parts are in operative position and the film is in position and the light is being projected through the film for one purpose or another. This collar is ordinarily fixed in position on the face of the door. However in adapting this invention to a standard apparatus it is deemed feasible to modify the construction and position of the collar so as to make it function as the lifter. To this end the collar 26 is loosely disposed in the usual position against the face of the door. This collar is preferably pivotally connected to the door, and preferably along its up per portion by means of a screw 21, and with that structure a lower portion of it is provided with a handle member 28 and near its upper edge with a laterally extending yoke element 29 which extends from the collar 25 and is adapted to embrace the bushing IS on the supporting frame 14. Thus there is shown one form of means for engaging the support and for raising the door.

Any suitable form of locking means may be employed to hold the door in its assembled position. In the preferred form a pivoted latch lever 30 has a hook end 3| engaging a lip 32 disposed on the lower portion of the door and a spring 33 is disposed on the other end of the latch lever and bears against the lower end of the handle 28. This lever 38 is pivoted to the handle element at 34.

In the operation of the device, it will be assumed that the parts are in their full operative position with the light projecting through the apertures and through the lens tubes 35. These bear against the collar 26 as shown in Fig. 1. If the film is to be removed or adjusted the operator pushes on the knob l3 and thus moves the shaft ll longitudinally and also the frame plate [4 and also the door away from the trap l9 to the position shown in Fig. 1. All this time the collar 26 and the lens tubes are in contact as in the usual structure.

If at this time and position it is desired to remove the door for one reason or another, then the hand of the operator grasps the handle 28 and starts to pull it to the left as shown in Fig. 2, and in so doing the fingers of the hand will first press the end of latch lever 30 adjacent the lower end of the handle 28 and release the hook end 3! from engagement with the lip 32 enabling the operator to move the lifting lever around its pivot 21. In this case the lifting element is embodied in the form of the collar 26 altho it is to be clearly understood that this is only one form which the lifting element may assume. As this lifting action continues, the collar acts as a lever and with the yoke 29 and the shaft I l as an axis, the handle as the point of power application and the pivot 21 as the point of application of the weight, the door 20 will be lifted sufliciently to lift the fingers or hooks 22 and 23 off the pins I! and i8 and thus permit the door to be easily withdrawn from the support and machine.

Thus there is provided a simple, efiicient, rugged, and easily operated device whereby a door may be readily and quickly lifted from its support with a minimum of time and effort and without disturbing the construction of the apparatus. There is thus provided with the door and its support, a cooperating element which by the simple manipulation will easily lift the door from its support to permit it to be removed from the machine. In the specific preferred form shown there is embodied the well known light shielding collar as part of the lifting element and thus advantage is taken of parts already in use and on the apparatus. There is also provided simple means whereby the parts will automatically be latched in their operative position and can and will be normally and easily unlatched during the normal motion of the operators hand to lift the door from its support.

While the invention has been described in detail and with respect to a present preferred form thereof, it is not to be limited to such details and forms since many changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest aspects. Hence it is desired to cover any and all forms and modifications of the invention which may come within the language or scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a film-carrying apparatus, a. film-trap door, a support on which said door hangs, and manually operable means on the door movable relative to the door and independently engaging and interacting with the support for disengaging the door from the support, by movement in a direction parallel to the face of the film.

2. In a film-carrying apparatus, a film-trap door, a support, pins on said support on which the door hangs, and manually operable means on the door movable relative to the door and independently engaging and interacting with the support to lift the door from said pins, by movement in a direction parallel to the face of the film.

3. In a film-carrying apparatus, a film-trap door, a support on which said door hangs, and a manually operable lever on the door movable relative to the door and independently engaging and interacting with said support to lift the door off the support, by movement in a direction parallel to the face of the film.

4. In a film-carrying apparatus, a film-trap door, a support, pins on said support on which the door hangs, and a manually operable lever on the door movable relative to the door and independently engaging and interacting with the support to lift the door from the pins, by movement in a direction parallel to the face of the film.

5. In a film-carrying apparatus, a film-trap door, a support, on which said door hangs, a member pivoted to said door on the side away from the film, means on said member to engage the support, and means on said member to manually move it to lift the door from the support by movement in a direction parallel to the face of the film.

6. In a film-carrying apparatus, a film-trap door, a support on which said door hangs, a member pivoted to said door on the side away from the film, means on said member to engage the support, and means on said member to manually move it to lift the door from the support, and manually operable means on the member and cooperating with the door to latch the member to the door.

7. In a film-carrying apparatus, a film-trap door, a support on which said door hangs, a collar pivoted to said door on the side away from the film, means on said collar to engage the support, and means on the collar to manually move it to lift the door from the support, by movement in a direction parallel to the face of the film.

8. In a film-carrying apparatus, a film-trap door, a support, pins on said support on which the door hangs, a collar pivoted to said door on the side away from the film, means on said collar to engage the support, and means on the collar to manually move it to lift the door from said pins, by movement in a direction parallel to the face of the film.

9. In a film-carrying apparatus, a film-trap door, a support, pins on said support, hooked fingers on the door adapted to rest on the pins and mount the door on the support, a lightshielding collar movably mounted on the door on the side away from the film, an element ex tending from the collar and engaging the support, and means on the collar to manually move the collar to lift the door from the pins.

10. In a film-carrying apparatus, a film-trap door, a supporting frame, pins on said frame, a movable shaft on which said frame is mounted and fixed, hooked fingers on the door and extending to and resting on said pins to support the door from the frame, a pivoted light-shielding collar disposed on the side of the door away from the film, a yoke member extending from the collar and embracing the movable shaft, and a handle extending from the collar at a spaced point to manually move the collar to lift the door from the pins.

11. In a film-carrying apparatus, a film-trap door, a movable shaft, a supporting frame fixed to the shaft, pins on the frame, hooked fingers on the door extending to and resting on said pins, a pivoted light-shielding collar on the door side away from the film, a yoke element extending from the collar on one side of the pivot point and embracing said movable shaft, and a handle extending from. the collar on the other side of the pivot point and adapted to move the collar around its pivot point to lift the door fro-m the pins, a latch member pivoted to the handle, a detent on the door engaging and latching one end of the latch lever, and a spring disposed between the other end of the latch lever and the handle.

EUGENE MORFESI. ALBERT KINDELMANN. 

